The 2026 Winter Games are off to a promising start for host nation Italy with gold, silver and bronze on the first day of medal events.

Swiss racer Franjo von Allmen has taken home the first gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games by winning the downhill.

World champion Franjo von Allmen dominated the last men’s World Cup downhill before the Olympics and gave troubled ski resort Crans-Montana a second Swiss victory of the weekend.

Marco Odermatt found moments of clarity on a foggy day in the Italian Dolomites to race to victory in a World Cup downhill at Val Gardena.

(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)BEAVER CREEK, CO – To unwind, Italian downhill racer Dominik Paris sometimes screams into a microphone. "The key thing is they're able to diversify their self-identity, so they're not just ski racers," said Jim Taylor, a former ski racer who's now a sports psychologist. “If you're always thinking about ski racing it drains you mentally,” Ganong said. "It's super fun doing something completely different than what I do as a professional ski racer," said Ganong. “Having other activities and interests and passions takes their mind off of the 24/7 mindset of their sport,” Taylor said.